Gravity Peaks
by Dispray
Summary: Siblings Lincoln and Lynn Loud spend the summer at their grandfather's shop for fishing equipment and souvenirs in the enigmatic sleepy town of Gravity Peaks while attempting to uncover the many supernatural mysteries of the town, its strange residents and their grandfather himself. AU, inspired by Gravity Falls but not a crossover.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1-Welcome to Gravity Peaks

"Mom, Dad, Lincoln and Lynn are fighting again! They are gonna break some furniture, again", Lori yelled out of her room. The rare moments that she had free to chat with her boyfriend Bobby, were ruined by the constant fighting of her only brother and one of her younger sisters.

"What? Again? Okay, this calls for greater punishment", Lynn Sr. said as he furrowed his brow and got up form reading the newspaper in the living room.

"What are you doing?", Rita curiously asked as her husband picked up the phone and entered a number.

"Patience, you'll see. Just the right punishment for Lincoln and Lynn."

"Give me back that comic, now", Lincoln said as he raised his hand forward.

"You first, give me back my ball", Lynn replied as she did the same.

"Lynn, please, that's a limited edition Ace Savvy comic. There aren't many left", Lincoln lowered his voice as his hands started to shake. They were in his room but Lynn had taken the initiative, as she usually does.

"I could say the same about that ball, Babe Ruth used that ball, do you know what that means? Give it to me or I'm gonna beat you up again", Lynn threatened her younger brother. Their parents had warned Lynn to use less physical force on her siblings, but with the stakes so high now, she didn't seem to care.

"Lincoln! Lynn! Get down here! Now!", both of them froze when they heard their father calling them down from the living room. His voice was angry and they knew better than to test his patience. Simultaneously they dropped their respective items and sprinted down there for the first place. The winner was logically, Lynn.

"What's up dad?", Lincoln nervously asked.

Both Lynn and Lincoln gulped when they felt their father's eyes on them. They don't recall seeing him this angry in a long while, despite all of their fights.

"So, you two can't seem to co-exist here, under the same roof, no matter we try", Lynn Sr said as he slowly walked in a circle, while scratching her nose.

"Well dad, you know...", Lynn started but she was interrupted by her father:"I didn't say that you could speak Lynn. Neither of you." Rita was just observing the situation from the sofa.

"I think that you two have a higher amount of energy than your peers, which is why you need to release that energy at once so that you can function normally, correct?", Lynn Sr said as he stopped walking and stared again at his kids. They quickly nodded, without even understanding what he said.

"That's why I and your mother have decided to send you to Pop-Pop for the summer break, so that you could learn some manners, while still having a good time, the best time of your life", Lynn Sr grinned.

Pop-Pop?! Both Lincoln and Lynn looked at each other in confusion. They haven't seen Pop-Pop for ten years, back when Lincoln was only one year old and Lynn was three. Why him all of a sudden?

"Well, I have already called the bus station and the bus goes in ten, which means that you still have half an hour time to pack which should be enough. Say goodbye to your sisters as you won't see them for the remainder of the summer and I'll be waiting in the car. Hurry", Lynn Sr said as he grabbed the car keys and went outside.

Lincoln and Lynn didn't even have time to reconsider it as their mother pushed them towards the stairs. They went to their rooms and started packing their clothes in their biggest bags.

Lincoln also put in some comics and his laptop, while Lynn put in some sport magazines and one of her many tennis balls so that she could knock it against the wall if she was bored. Lucy was telling her something but her mind was so absent that she didn't actually her a word.

The rest of the Loud sisters were gathered in the living room as Lincoln and Lynn climbed down the stairs with their cargo. They hugged and kissed their sisters and finally their mother.

"Since Lincoln and Lynn are leaving for the summer, the Loud House will become the Silent House, get it?", Luan chuckled to her own joke, making the rest of her family groan, except Lincoln who found it amusing.

When Lincoln and Lynn finally left the house and entered the car, the rest of their sisters seemed rather happy at the idea of not seeing their most dynamic siblings for the next three months.

"Three months without them, that's like a dream come true. I literally can't believe it", Lori was more than happy now that she had more time to spend with Bobby.

"Yeah, we're gonna have some peace without their constant fighting and bickering, let's enjoy it while we still can", Luna added.

"Well then, let's go, the bus goes in fifteen minutes, we should make it in time", Lynn Sr smiled as he started the car and drove off.

"Does Pop-Pop even know that we're coming?", Lincoln asked.

"Of course he does! I talked with him personally and he's more than excited to see his two favourite grandchildren, but don't tell the others that I said this."

"That's terrific...", Lynn sighed.

"Wait, where does Pop-Pop live again?", Lincoln asked again.

"In East Wisconsin, a small town called Gravity Peaks, it's near the Michigan Lake so you can go fishing."

Lincoln widely opened his eyes.

"Wisconsin? That's like two States away from here! Couldn't we have gone with a plane?", Lincoln complained.

"You could have, but it's too expensive plus it's more fun this way, no? More travel time means more bonding with your dear sister", Lynn Sr chuckled. Lynn and Lincoln couldn't tell if this was genuine or sarcastic.

"Ah, we're here at the bus station. Hurry up, only ten minutes left", said their father as they grabbed their bags and rushed to their bus. Lynn Sr handed them their tickets and boarded up their cargo in the bus.

"I'm going now kids before the real traffic jam hits in. Take care of another and be sure to listen to Pop-Pop whatever he says, okay? He's old and senile, so go easy on him, don't fight in his vicinity as he has a weak heart. All right then, you guys have fun, see you in three months, in September", Lynn Sr said as he hugged and kissed his kids on the cheek then swiftly went for his car.

"Well, he doesn't seem to be that sad that we're leaving", Lynn said.

"Yeah, I think that he feels with me about having to endure for the whole summer", Lincoln teased his older sister, but she didn't any chances as she slapped him across the back of his head.

"Hey, what was that for, we're not alone here in case you haven't realized", Lincoln said furiously through his teeth as some kids who were also waiting for the bus laughed.

"Don't think that you can play the macho here, Lame-o. Know your place."

"Okay you're the elder one", Lincoln admitted in defeat, rubbing his head where Lynn had hit him.

When the clock was finally on 10:00 AM, the bus had started to go. Lincoln and Lynn had sat on the far right seats, near the end. There were only two older women and one older man in the bus, aside from the driver, who seemed to be a middle-aged man.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, we should arrive in Gravity Peaks around 10:00 PM, which means some twelve hours of traveling, if everything goes fine hopefully. Just sit back and relax to the music", the driver laughed as he turned on the volume of some old country songs.

"I think that I'm sick already", Lynn whispered. She was sitting next to the window.

"Twelve hours of traveling in this trash can...I think that I can endure it", Lincoln sighed.

The seats weren't the worst that he had seen but they were also far from best that he used. But anyway, what was twelve hours? Nothing it would pass quickly.

Or so had Lincoln hoped. Not even ten minutes had passed and Lynn was already asleep and, surprisingly, she laid her head on Lincoln's shoulder. Her snoring was also starting to get louder but it drowned in the sound of the radio music.

"She has the entire bus for here and lays on me. I hate my life", Lincoln mumbled.

But sooner than he thought, twelve hours had passed. Both of them were hungry, as their mom forgot to make them any sandwiches because everything happened in such a hurry.

"A few minutes and we're there, hang on guys", the driver grinned. The three other people had left the bus long ago, leaving Lincoln and Lynn alone with the bus driver. Lincoln couldn't help but feel something strange from the driver. He shrugged it of as him being hungry and tired from the trip.

Just as he looked at the darkness outside, he saw a giant name board which read:

WELCOME TO GRAVITY PEAKS

STAY SAFE AND ALIVE

"Alive? What are we entering, some combat zone? How corny", Lynn yawned.

_There must be something else to it, it can't be a coincidence,_ Lincoln thought.

"Well kids, we have arrived. I sure hope that you had a pleasant time traveling with us", the driver smiled as he turned off the bus as they had arrived at the Gravity Peaks bus station.

"Come on now, I'll help you with the cargo", the driver said as he left the bus and pulled out their bags from the right side of the bus. Lincoln and Lynn followed him, and both were trying real hard not to fall asleep on the spot from exhaustion.

Lincoln immediately noticed the weird smell from the station, which had five different platforms for buses, the least that Lincoln had ever seen. Most of the lights didn't work or were flickering constantly to make the atmosphere even more ghoulish. He looked around but there was literally no one around or in the station, except him, his sister and the bus driver.

"So, is someone gonna pick you up or somethin'? Because it's late now and I have to keep going to another route ya know?", the bus driver asked as he carried their cargo to the waiting room inside. There was just one, elderly woman on the counter and she was reading what seemed like a book.

"Well, our grandpa should have been waiting for us but I don't know where he's now", Lynn said, frustrated.

"My kids have arrived! Finally!", a strong, deep voice suddenly startled the three of them, but the woman at the counter didn't seem to be fazed at all.

"How you doing Marsha my dear? Everything all right?", Albert said cheerfully as he passed the counter. She just nodded without raising her eyes from the book.

"Pop-Pop!", both Lincoln and Lynn exclaimed as they ran over to him. Albert picked them both up with ease, his massive arms entangling them as he gave them both kiss on the cheek. Then, he put them on the ground again.

"My dear God, I can't believe how much you've grown! In a few years, looks like you're gonna surpass me!", the old man chuckled. Both Lincoln and Lynn exchanged nervous looks as their grandfather was more than twice their size, in both height and weight.

"Well then, let's go. I don't want you two catching a cold on your first day here", Albert clapped his hands. He tapped the bus driver on the shoulder as a sign of gratitude, then picked up all the cargo and went to his truck. Lynn followed him, but before Lincoln could too, the bus driver put his hand on his shoulder and whispered:" Stay safe and alive, Lincoln. This summer is gonna be a special one." He winked at the boy, and then entered the bus and drove off.

_How did he know my name? I'm pretty sure that I didn't say it out loud...Luan would be proud of this pun,_ Lincoln chuckled.

"Come on Lame-o, I want to sleep", Lynn hissed from Albert's truck which was stationed just some twenty meters from the bus station.

Lincoln also entered the truck and Albert drove off.

It was a Sunday night, and Albert drove through the centre of the town. Lynn didn't bother looking through the window but Lincoln did. The streets were mostly empty, with some occasional man or woman walking by. Lincoln just shrugged it off. It was a small town after all, nothing like Royal Woods or Detroit.

After a few minutes of driving, they turned right at a turnpike, toward the Michigan Lake and through the woods.

"You live in the forest?", Lincoln wondered.

"Even better, kiddo. Not just the forest but there's also the lake, my house and shop is right next to it", Albert laughed.

_He has a shop? Isn't he retired or something? He looks too old to be still working, _Lincoln wondered thought curiously.

After some more minutes of driving, they had finally arrived. It was pitch dark outside, but Lincoln could clearly see a double story house, with wooden walls and an old fashioned red roof.

"Okay kids, we have arrived to my residence. Nothing too spectacular, but it has a nice view on the lake", Albert said as he left the car and picked up the cargo. Lincoln and Lynn were looked in amazement at the Great Lake, as the cold wind that was blowing raised some small waves along the vast body of water.

Then, they followed Albert and climbed the stairs to the second floor, where he lived. He unlocked the door and turned on the light.

The interior walls were also made of wood. There were taxidermied heads of bears, elks and boars, which briefly startled the kids. There was a bathroom, a living room, a kitchen, and two rooms for sleeping, the guest room and the one were Albert spent his childhood with his sister.

"You kids are going to sleep in my old room, there are two beds there, I have already prepared fresh pillows, blankets and bed sheets so you can bunk in right now, or would you like to eat something first?", Albert asked as he put their bags into his old room.

"I'm just gonna go sleep, I'm just so tired from the long travel", Lynn yawned, now barely being able to keep her eyes open.

"Yeah, me too. We'll eat in the morning", Lincoln nodded and headed to the bedroom along with his older sister. Albert just smiled.

The bedroom was of medium size and had two beds, one on the right side and one on the left side. There were posters of Queen, Aerosmith, Elton John, Michael Jackson, U-2, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and many more on the walls. There were also two desks, two wardrobes and two chairs. There was only one window which looked towards the Great Lake, but oddly enough, the window was shaped like a triangle, with many little drawing on it, which seemed like some caricatures or some letters in an unknown language. Lincoln and Lynn didn't even bother with it, just seeing it as some old garbage.

"Talk about the 70's and 80's, this is probably the most retro thing I've ever seen", Lincoln said as he examined the many posters on the walls.

"Yeah, a blast from the past. Now I'm gonna go and hit the bed, I'm just too tired", Lynn said as she grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom to change. Soon after, Lincoln did the same and changed into his own orange pajamas. Then, they both turned off the lights, closed the door and Lincoln took the right bed while Lynn took the left bed.

"Hey, do you really think that we're gonna have the most boring summer in the history?", Lynn asked as she closed her eyes.

"Hopefully not, but we'll see in the tomorrow what happens", Lincoln replied as he tried to sleep. It didn't take them long to fall asleep as they were both tired from the long travel.

In the living room, Albert grabbed some papers that lied on the table, folded them up and went into the guest room.

"They shouldn't see this, they're too young for that. Still not ready", Albert whispered as he put the papers into his briefcase, which he then locked and put the key into his small safe and entered the eight number combination. Then, he drank a glass of milk, locked the front door, turned off the lights and finally went to sleep in his bed.

It was eight o'clock when Lincoln and Lynn heard their grandpa running through the house, knocking over some books and breaking a glass full of water.

"What is he doing so early in the morning?", Lynn mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Maybe he has an appointment at the doctor's? Who knows?", Lincoln said as he turned over to the other eyes, without opening his eyes.

Then, Albert suddenly burst through the door, startling the two siblings and causing them both to fall to the ground form the sheer scare they suffered.

"Get up you lazy runts, it's time to work", Albert said with a serious tone, unrecognizable from his yesterday self.

"I knew this was all an act, he was being too nice...", Lincoln whispered to Lynn as they both laid down with their legs still in air from the fall.

"Tell me about it...", Lynn replied.

"Come on, get up and get dressed. Breakfast is ready and we open up in an hour, we can't be late", Albert babbled as he left their room. He was wearing a suit and a white shirt, all neatly ironed.

After a few minutes, Lincoln and Lynn were ready and walked to the kitchen. They sat on the chairs at the table and waited for Albert to arrive. After a few second, Albert came from his room.

"Ah, my favourite time of the day, breakfast, and today we have a speciality. Eggs and bacon, along with milk and cheese from the finest Wisconsin fields. Enjoy!", Albert happily exclaimed as he brought his 'speciality', and started to eat with his grandchildren.

"You mentioned something about working earlier, what did you mean exactly?", Lincoln asked while eating the delicious meal that their grandfather prepared.

"Why, my shop of course! Don't tell me you didn't know?", Albert said as he drank his milk.

"Not really considering that Mom and Dad never talk about you...", Lynn mumbled.

"Well it's mostly fishing equipment and some souvenirs here and there, a jack of all trades kinda. There's a little something for everybody."

"But I thought that you were retired as a soldier?", Lincoln wondered.

"You seen son, I was but I just can't stand not doing anything at all. Plus it's not that hard, at least not for a man of my age."

"How old are you exactly Pop-Pop?", Lynn asked.

"Seventy, I think. I stopped counting after I turned fifty. Far from young if you ask me", Albert chuckled.

"So do you work alone or...", Lynn continued.

"No, I have two workers. Both are still in high school so they can only help when it's summer or winter break but that's when the real season starts anyway so I'm happy."

A ringing could be heard from the front door, on the first floor.

"Oh, they must have arrived. My workers, I mean. Wash your teeth and come downstairs", Albert said to his grandkids as he put on a red fez with a capital "G" on his head and went to his shop, which was located on the first floor.

After Lincoln and Lynn were done cleaning the table and themselves up, they went outside down the stairs and entered the shop through the front door.

Just like the walls on the second floor, the walls in the shop were also wooden. There were many types of fishing equipment sorted around along with many souvenirs, along with the name of the shop being written with giant letters over the entire front side, which read "MICHIGAN'S LEVIATHAN"

"So these are your grandkids? Hi. I'm Sam", a girl with blonde hair and a teal streak said as she approached the siblings and stretched out her hand. Lynn was the first one to greet her.

"Yo, what's up, I'm Lynn and this is my younger brother, Lincoln. Lincoln?", Lynn curiously asked as Lincoln stood in his place like he was petrified and stared at Sam.

"Is he okay?", Sam seemed genuinely concerned.

"Oh, he'll be fine, it's just that he's sometimes shy, like really shy but he'll get used to you", Lynn grinned, teasing her younger brother. She already knew why he was being like this.

"Hey dudes, I'm Chaz, pleased to meet you", a teenager who also looked older than the siblings, approached them but stumbled across a nearby stall.

"You okay?", Lynn asked, barely suppressing her laughter. Sam had to put both of her hands on her mouth to contain herself.

"Alright, enough of kisses and hugs. You're gonna work together for quite a while, so there's your chance of learning each other a little better. For now, Lincoln and Chaz are gonna help me sort some fishing poles and baits, while you two Lynn and Sam will count the money that I have separated form the cash register. If we start now, we should be able to finish until nine, when we officially open. Let's go now", Albert ordered them as they all went to their respective assignments.

When it was finally nine o'clock, the 'Leviathan' officially opened and customers were already starting to pile up. Sam was working as the cashier and Lynn helped her. Lincoln helped Chaz to work around the shop and help customers who were content to buy something. Albert handling things outside, as people were already arriving to buy some fish that Albert had caught or had smuggled from other fishermen.

Lincoln had managed to calm himself down and only now he realized how much he had embarassed himself before Sam and Chaz. But he couldn't help it. Sam was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, he had instantly gained a crush on her.

However, when a boy who seemed to be of Lincoln's age entered the store, the situation had changed. Before even realizing what was happening, Lynn had already planted her eyes on him. He was tall with brown hair and had an athletic build. His muscles could already be seen through his tight shirt.

"You okay Lynn?", Sam asked her as she caught her looking at the boy.

"Uh yeah, why?", Lynn said absent mindedly.

"I don't know, looks you have been checking out that guy over there", Sam giggled.

"What? No, you must have gotten the wrong image", Lynn nervously said.

"Oh come on, I'm older than you, I know that kind of look. By the way, his name is Francisco, and he's the most popular boy in the town. He's also thirteen years old, just like you", Sam winked at her.

"Okay then, I admit, I like him, but please don't tell this Lincoln. He'll make fun of me for the entire life", Lynn pleaded. Sam nodded and smiled.

_Oh man, I have never had a crush or liked any boy before, but now I arrive in this town for the first time and look what's happening to me, _Lynn wrestled with her inner thoughts. This was it, she was going all in as Lincoln was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh...", Lynn struggled to make a sentence as she made eye contact with Francisco.

"Can I help you with something?", Francisco smiled.

"I like you, I really really like you...", Lynn burst out the first thing that came to her mind. She was practically redder than a tomato at this point.

"Oh, I like bold girls. Well, looks like you're new in here, right? I can give you a tour of the town if you want. Later, when your shift ends", Francisco winked at her.

"I finish at three, you can come and pick me up then", Lynn, completely out of her mind, again talked without thinking first.

"Then it's settled...", Francisco leaned closer, looking for a name.

"It's Lynn, Lynn is my name, you're Francisco, right?", Lynn nervously smiled.

Francisco let out a hearty laugh.

"Wonderful then, I'll come at half past three and pick you up, with a car. See you then Lynn", Francisco gave her a quick hug and then promptly left the shop.

Sam immediately leaped over from the counter and put her hands on Lynn's shoulders.

"Girl, you are on fire! It's your first day here and you already have a date! I'm so jealous...", Sam grinned.

"I'm gonna kill myself, what have I done, that wasn't like me at all...", Lynn grabbed her head in disbelief.

"Look Lynn, if you're a tomboy or the athletic type, you're still a girl. You deserve to be with someone who likes you. And from what I know about Francisco, he is one of the nicest guys in the town, so you hit a jackpot here!", Sam giggled.

"I guess you're right, but could you teach me about how I should handle boys, I'm a complete chump when it comes to that stuff", Lynn asked sincerely.

"Of course, when our shift ends. But now let's get back to work or Albert's gonna throw us both in the lake." Both Sam and Lynn chuckled.

"Something wrong Linc?", Chaz asked, curiously.

"I can't believe this. Lynn never had any contact with boys except when she played against them or when she beat me up, but she's already made a boyfriend? What the heck? Looks like this climate change hit her in the head or something", Lincoln furrowed his brows.

"Or maybe you're just jealous?", Chaz teased him.

"Me? Jealous? No way pal, I could get any girl I want, even-", but he stopped as he looked at Sam.

"There's nothing wrong with that dude. It's logical that you would care when your sister gets her first boyfriend", Chaz said, now more serious than ever.

"Whatever, let's get back to work. I can already hear Albert yelling at us to stop slacking", Lincoln concluded as he and Chaz continued to walk around the store and help customers in whatever they needed.

Hours had quickly passed and it was three o'clock already. The last customers had left the shop and Albert was getting ready to close it down for today.

"See you again tomorrow boss!", Chaz waved Lincoln and Albert goodbye as he and Sam left the shop. They came with bikes as the 'Leviathan' was two miles away from the town.

"So what did you think about your first day at work Linc?", Albert laughed as he was counting down the money that he had earned today.

"It was good but where is Lynn? I haven't seen her in a while", Lincoln scratched his head.

"Oh, Francisco came for her and picked her up with his dad and went to the town together. Apparently they were supposed to meet after three but he came earlier and then they drove off."

"And you just let her go with him?", Lincoln raised his right brow.

"I know the kid and his father, they're good guys, don't worry. Plus she already wanted to see the playground, she already missed playing any sport she could", Albert chuckled.

"Fair point. Well, I'll also like to go to the town, can you give me a ride?"

"I would but I'm a little busy now son, why don't you take my old bike and go with him, it's not that hot outside", Albert said while still sorting the money.

As soon as Lincoln heard the word 'old', he knew that this was a bad idea.

"All where is it parked?", Lincoln asked, sounding defeated.

"In the garage, just outside. Oh wait, I wanted to give you something", Albert said, as he grabbed some things from under the counter and walked towards his grandson.

He handed him a white cap, with a blue logo of the 'Leviathan',( which was as its name says, the mythical Leviathan), a dark blue vest with pockets outside and a yellow amulet, with black 'G' on it.

"As a reward for working your first day and my gift to you for visiting me, here's a little present from me. Enjoy!", Albert patted him on the head and got back to counting his money.

Lincoln sighed, put on the vest, cap and put the weird amulet on his right jeans pocket. How he looked right now, he didn't want to know, he just took Albert's old bike and drove off to the town.

_I shouldn't get lost, there is only one path to the centre of the city I think, _Lincoln thought.

The bike was probably older than Lincoln's own parents but it was in a surprisingly good shape, much to Lincoln's amusement. He did however forgot a helmet but he just shrugged it off.

After driving for several minutes, he finally arrived at the town of Gravity Peaks. There were more people than last night, but still it was much less crowded than in Royal Woods.

There weren't any policemen around so he wasn't in any fear of of getting caught without a helmet. The cars were driving rather slowly, which meant that he could relax and lower his attention, as he was getting used to cars driving fast in his home town.

However, just as he was passing by a drug store, he noticed his favourite type of stores: a comic store.

_What's a comic store doing in a small town like this in the first place, _Lincoln found it odd, but nonetheless he was happy. He parked near the front door and entered the shop.

Like the rest of the buildings and Albert's house, the comic store was very much in 'retro style'. There was a larger number of older comics than newer but Lincoln didn't mind. He was in his Heaven, and that's all that mattered.

"Oh man, the new Ace Savvy has arrived and I don't have enough money to buy it", Lincoln could hear a child's voice a few meters away from him. He came closer to the voice and found an African American kid with glasses and an afro, who looked to be his age.

"Sorry for interrupting, but you also like Ace Savvy?", Lincoln asked as he approached him form behind.

The boy got startled a little but turned him with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah, but I don't have the money right now to buy the newest issue", the boy said with a sad look on his face.

"Newest? But this came out like weeks ago, this shop is not up to date", explained Lincoln as he looked at the 'new comic' that the boy wanted.

"Oh, you must be from a big city, right?"

"Yeah, it's pretty big, it's near Detroit."

"Detroit?! Man, you're a long way away from home, what are you doing here? By the way, my name is Clyde McBride, pleased you meet", Clyde smiled as he stretched out his hand.

"I'm Lincoln Loud, I came here to visit my grandpa", Lincoln replied as he shook his hand.

"Yo, yo, what's going on guys", the two boys turned their attention to the sole man who worked there. He appeared to be in his mid twenties, with a beanie and some hair protruding from it. He also had some stubble on his face and wore a hoodie with rolled up sleeves and black jeans.

"Hey, I was just looking around, but sadly I forgot to bring any money", Lincoln said as he and Clyde approached the cash register.

"No problem mate, feel free to look around as much as you want. My name is Rob", said the worker as he gave the two boys a peace sign with both of his hands.

"Oh hey, I'm Lincoln."

"You new here? I know Clyde already, but I don't think that I've ever seen you", said Rob as he scratched his nose.

"I came to visit my grandpa with my sister. We're staying here through the entire summer. At first I thought that it was gonna be boring but it turns out I was wrong. It's pretty fun so far."

"Who's your grandpa? This is a small place, there's a high chance that I know him."

"Albert Loud, he owns the 'Michigan's Leviathan' shop for fishing equipment and souvenirs.

"Really bro? Albert's grandson? Well, since he's an old customer of mine and of my father and grandfather, here's a free comic, on the house", Rob laughed as he slammed his hand on the counter.

Lincoln immediately looked around the store to find something that he had never seen. There were many but since Clyde seemed to desperate to read the 'new' Ace Savvy comic, he chose it in the end.

"Excellent choice, bro. Savvy is one of my favourites. Be sure to visit the shop whenever you can", Rob waved them goodbye as Lincoln and Clyde left the store with the comic.

"Here you can take it", said Lincoln as he handed over the comic to Clyde.

"Really? But you got that as a present!", Clyde appeared surprised.

"Yeah, but I have already read it a dozen of times, feel free to keep it", Lincoln laughed.

"Thanks man you're the best!", Clyde giggled as they bumped their fists.

They were walking around the town for a while until Lincoln saw someone familiar: it was Lynn, his older sister.

"What's wrong why have we stopped? ", Clyde was curious.

"It's my sister on a 'date' with a guy I don't trust at all", Lincoln said through his teeth as he pointed towards them. They were sitting in an ice cream parlour, eating ice cream and laughing.

"That girl with Francisco? Man, I understand your worry."

"Why, what did he do?"

"Well, everyone sees him as a sports hero or something, but in reality he's one of the biggest bullies in the school. You see, Gravity Peaks only has one school for all ages in a massive building because the amount of children has dropped dramatically over the years. And he regularly beats us weaker kids and takes out money. And the worst part is, you can't say anything to anyone as his father is one of the richest men in the near area, it would only go on deaf ears", Clyde sighed.

"To be honest with you, it's not like Lynn or me are any saints, but there is something about this guy that just seems so fishy, and now that you have shown his true colours, it's time to act."

"But what are you going to do? He'll beat the both of us at the same time", Clyde said.

"Yeah, I know that but we're just gonna wait for them to separate. Then, I'll confront Lynn about this and tell her how it really is."

_And pray to God that she won't punch me in the face, _Lincoln thought.

Lincoln and Clyde waited for an hour until they finally got up. Then they went to the playground, playing some basketball, football, volleyball, then walking through the town, then again eating an ice cream, then drinking an ice tea, walking again. They repeated this circle several times until the night had finally fallen.

"Uh, Linc, isn't it a little too late now? Shouldn't we go home, and I mean all of us?", Clyde was obviously concerned.

"Will your parents be angry?"

"Well, they aren't at home right now, so-"

"There, you see. That's a sign itself that we need to follow them until the end. If this was the and of their date, than they would gone home already, but this doesn't look normal, you understand?"

"As you say friend", Clyde scratched his head.

Francisco and Lynn then got up and started to walk out of town and towards the forest, to the pitch dark.

"Okay, this is not normal at all. Let's go Linc", said Clyde, Lincoln nodded and they again started follow them and being carefully not to attract any suspicion.

They walked through the thick forest for about twenty minutes until they finally came to some clear space, a small hill which looked directly at the Great Lake of Michigan.

"Now comes the part where they kiss, right?", Clyde whispered to Lincoln as he stared at them.

"Say Clyde, what time is it now?", Lincoln whispered back as they hid behind the bush, trying not to make any sudden moves.

"Judging by the cloud and the moon, it's gonna be midnight now, why?", but Lincoln seemingly ignored him as he felt some strange vibrating from his pocket...the amulet that Albert gave him?!

"You see Lynn, I had many girlfriends, but you are the first one that I have actually fallen in love, and I mean genuinely", Francisco said as he caressed her hair, she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I could say the same about you, I have never ever looked at boys this way and now I'm glad, this way I could meet you", Lynn giggled.

_I think I'm gonna throw up, _Lincoln thought.

"But Lynn, there is just something that you need to know, and if you manage to tolerate it, than I think that we can be a great pair, forever", Francisco whispered to her as he slowly got up.

"What did he say, I couldn't hear", Lincoln whispered to Clyde but he just shook his head.

"What is it?", Lynn asked, getting ready for a surprise.

But the surprise that she got, would be the most horrifying surprise that she has ever got.

As soon as the clouds got away from the full moon, Francisco fell to the ground and clutched his chest, and started to scream in pain.

"Oh no, what's happening? Are you alright?!", Lynn panicked as she rushed over to his side but he brushed her off.

"It only...hurts at...the beginning...then it...starts...to feel...good...", said Francisco as his arms, legs and torso got longer and longer. His teeth, fingernails and toenails also started to grow much larger, fur was rapidly growing over his skin and grew so big that his clothes were shredded completely, so that he was naked now, but his body was completely covered in thick, brown fur, with his brown eyes becoming a bright red without any pupils. He had transformed into a werewolf and gave loud and terrifying howl.

Lynn just stood there petrified, not being able to move as the werewolf slowly approached her.

"Don't be afraid Lynn, if you're not afraid that we can continue our relationship, but if you start running or screaming, then it's gonna get ugly for you...", the werewolf growled in a deep, thick voice.

"What...are...you", Lynn barely managed to pronounce but the werewolf just laughed.

"What, can't you see? I am a being far superior to the primitive human race. I am the ultimate life form, a werewolf!"

"Lynn, we need to get the hell out of here, now!", Lincoln screamed as he ran towards her, grabbed her hand and started to run with her and Clyde towards the town.

"Lincoln! What the hell are you doing here?! Were you stalking us?!", Lynn rasped furiously.

"We don't have time for that now Lynn!", Clyde screamed as the trio was sprinting with the werewolf hot on their tails through the thick forest.

"And who the hell are you?!", Lynn continued to lash out at them, seemingly ignoring the bloodthirsty monster that was chasing after them.

"And we don't have time for that too, argh!", Clyde screamed as he tripped over a massive vine and fell to the ground.

"No, Clyde!", Lincoln shouted and returned to his friend.

"Come on buddy, get up, we have to get out of here!"

"Darn it, my leg is stuck, just go the two of you, it's my fault for falling anyway!"

"No way, I can't liv-", but Lincoln was cut short violently as the werewolf lunged into him, knocking him out as he hit a nearby tree.

"Lincoln!", Lynn and Clyde screamed at the same time.

"I'll deal with you later four eyes, you're trapped anyway. Now Lynn, should we continue our conversation about, being a couple?", the werewolf rasped, as he approached the shivering girl.

Lynn took a few steps back and finally fell to the ground and raised her hands in _self-defense. _

_"Please just let them go, they're innocent...", Lynn started to cry. _

_"Lynn, my dearest Lynn, please don't cry, I don't like it when you cry. As for them, they have seen my true form, so they can't live any further, I'm truly sorry. You're the only one allowed to se-, argh, damn it, what the hell...", the transformed Francisco collapsed to the floor and started to hold his chest in pain. _

_Clyde quickly looked at the sky but the moon was still clearly visible, the clouds were coming near but the werewolf still had around a few minutes of time. _

_"What the hell...does someone...of you...have any silver...or the amulet...", the werewolf gasped as he started to spit blood. _

_Silver? Amulet? Wait, the Amulet! Lincoln had shown Clyde what Albert had given him, it must have been that, since he's just a few meters away from the unconscious Lincoln. _

_Clyde managed to lean over and was barely able to grab the Amulet from Lincoln's right pocket, _

_"Are you looking for this, you monster!?", Clyde shouted at him, successfully managing to conquer his fear. _

_"You bastard...give that...to me...", the werewolf gasped but managed to get himself up and limped towards Clyde. Lynn was still on the ground, crying and being unable to do anything. _

_Finally, the werewolf managed to grab the yellow Amulet and crushed it with his superhuman strength. The monster slowly started to regain his strength. _

__Great, now I have gotten us all killed, ___Clyde was disappointed in himself. _

_"Now then, enough of this game, time to finish this", said the werewolf as he approached Lincoln was slowly waking up. _

_"What the...", Lincoln whispered. _

_"Please stop Francisco!", Lynn cried out. _

_No, Lincoln!", Clyde screamed, his eyes full of tears. _

_"Goodbye scum!", the werewolf rasped as he raised his right hand to slash his throat. _

_"Stop right there, you vile beast!", a strong voice suddenly startled them all. _

_"What the...", the werewolf turned around only to get hit by a silver bolt in his right shoulder. _

_"Arrgh, damn it all, it hurts like hell!", the monster screamed as he started to escape through the for__est. _

_"This ain't over yet, you hear me!", the werewolves' voice echoed through the dark, thick forest as he made his escape. _

_"Bloody coward, only attacking children, but running away when he faces a real man, like me", the voice got louder as he finally came closer to the trio. It was Albert. _

_"Po-po-po-...Pop-Pop!", Lynn yelled from the depth of her throat. _

_"Albert Loud from the 'Leviathan'! I don't I have ever been happier to see you (or did I)", Clyde added, stunned. _

_"But how did you find us, why are you here?!", Lynn continued. _

_"Well, you know, I couldn't just leave you guys alone, right? I came to save my children, I mean nephews, damn it, I mean grandchildren. Pretend you only heard the last word, don't ruin the moment!", shouted the old man triumphantly as he walked closer to Lincoln. _

_Lynn now was able to take a closer look on her grandpa: he wore a long black coat, along with black boots, pants, shirt, and a black beanie, along with a large crossbow filled with silver bolts that he used to shoot the werewolf. _

_"You took quite a hit there, didn't you Linc?", Albert said as he bandaged his bloodied head. _

_"Is that thing dead, Pop-Pop?", Lincoln managed to ask, weakly. _

_"No, he's only wounded but he won't pose a threat for a while now. There won't be another full moon in the next thirty days so we're good. Come on, let's get out of here, it's cold, we'll talk in the morning", Albert concluded as he helped Clyde and Lynn to their feet and carried the injured Lincoln to his truck that he parked near the location of the fight. _

_They left Clyde at his house and finally went back to the 'Leviathan' and their house. _

_"Wash yourselves up and go to sleep now. I promise that I'll tell you all I know tomorrow. Good night now", Albert calmly said, as he took off his clothes in his room and went to sleep. _

__I won't be able to tell you everything kids, you're not ready yet, ___Albert thought to himself as he fell asleep. _

_Lincoln and Lynn changed took a quick shower, changed into their pajamas and went to their beds to sleep. _

_There was so many things that they wanted to tell each other, but was not the time. Both of them were so tired, that they fell asleep almost immediately, but before wishing themselves a good night. _

_"Good night, Lincoln. I love you lil' bro", Lynn yawned. _

_"Good night, Lynn. I love you too, sis", Lincoln replied with a smile on his face, despite the pain from his head injury. _


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2-Albert's secrets

"Kids, are you-, oh, you're already up. Good, come then, breakfast is ready", Albert said to his grandkids but he already found them dressed up at nine in the morning. Lincoln and Lynn just stared at him with a confused look on their faces.

"Well kids, I think we need to talk about what happened last night", started Albert as he unwrapped a fresh loaf of bread and started to cut some cheese.

"First this is first Pop-Pop...what is a freaking werewolf doing here?! How do they even exist?! What is this, some kind of freak-show?!", Lincoln shouted, sounding much louder than he thought it would be.

"I understand your curiosity son, I had the exact same reaction the first time I found about this. You see, I wasn't the one to believe in ghosts, monsters or some type of 'spiritual non-sense'. That is, until I saw it with my own eyes. And that's the true reason why I opened this shop even though my working days are over, this place needs a protector from it's mysterious threats", Albert replied as he started to eat his self-made sandwich.

"Okay, but why is this all happening, how did it start? It must larger story to it, right?", Lynn joined the conversation, surprising Lincoln.

_But then again, it's not that surprising considering that her first date was a literal werewolf, _Lincoln thought.

"Eh kiddo, I wish I would know that. But that's a story for another day, right now, my main job is to prevent these various monsters from harming the citizens of this town, and in the worse case, from spreading to the rest of the States or Canada."

"Now that I think about it, how did you manage to find us yesterday? If you hadn't come, we would be chopped up food in the belly of a bloodthirsty werewolf", Lincoln asked as he finally started to eat.

Albert chuckled as he drank his daily dose of milk.

"That entrance was pretty epic, you have to admit. Well, the truth is, I was tracking you. All of you. I knew that Linc would follow Lynn, and that's the reason why I gave him the Amulet, for protection."

"You...you used Lynn as a bait, your own granddaughter?! Even though I asked you about him, that guy Francisco, and you explicitly said that he was a good guy...really Pop-Pop, I didn't expect this from you...", Lincoln sighed as he stood up from the chair and started to walk towards the front door.

"Well, what was I supposed to tell you? That he and his folks are an ancient family of werewolves? This was all planned in advance, yours and Lynn's life was never and will never be in danger, I promise you that Linc", Albert said calmly, with visible concern in his eyes.

"Whatever, I'm going to the town and I won't be back until tonight. I need to cool off my head, no offense Pop-Pop", said Lincoln as his voice got softer and left the house, leaving his meal half-eaten.

"Please don't be mad at him Pop-Pop, he was just so concerned about me the last night. I saw him shaking several times during the night when I was trying to sleep, it must have hit him hard", Lynn admitted as she was finishing her meal.

"Of course, it will take him some time to get used to it, just like I did and just like you will too. Say Lynn, do you believe in destiny, fate and luck?", Albert switched to his most serious mode that Lynn had seen him so far.

"Well, I'm not really that religious, compared to mom and dad, but yes, I do believe that everything happens for a reason, one way or another."

"See, that's the reason why you were sent here, to spend you summer with me, in this forgotten old town. Your constant in-fighting had finally brought your parents to a breaking point, so they decided to sent you here. It was all pre-planned that you would be the two to help deal with this problem."

"Wait...how do you know all that? I thought that you didn't speak with mom and dad for a decade now? Or was I told the wrong thing?", Lynn scratched her her temple in confusion.

"Lori and Luna did occasionally contact me but kept it secret from your parents so that they don't get angry or they would have risked being punished. The true reason why we didn't speak is exactly this thing that we're talking about, they called me crazy and nuts when they found out that I had become, how everyone calls it, 'spiritual' or 'mystical', while I'm just trying to save the world form whatever abnormal creatures and threats. But enough of this for now, just be more careful with strangers next time, and if you see anyone who smells fishy, feel free to ask me for help", Albert smiled as he started to collect the dirty dishes for the dishwasher.

"What about Francisco though? Is he dead? You also mentioned his family...", Lynn was curious.

"The next full moon is in thirty days, in July, so we should be safe from werewolves until then. As for his family, his father is the Patriarch of an ancient pure-blood werewolf family. Finally, about Francisco, he's not really thirteen years old."

"Then how old is he exactly?"

"Add one extra zero. One hundred thirty. I know, shocking, but it's just that they stay younger much longer than us humans, they can live up to hundreds of years, that's the thing that I'm jealous of most", Albert grumbled.

"Oh well, cool to know that he's still alive, I mean that he won't attack us for the next month", Lynn nervously laughed as he went to the front door.

"One more thing Lynn, what became of the Amulet that I gave Lincoln?", Albert asked.

"It was destroyed by Francisco but it did rock him up pretty badly. What was that even?"

"I have no idea, but it looks like it had a protective charm on it, against various mystical creatures. Anyway, since Lincoln is taking a day off, let's get to the shop and prepare everything before nine, Chaz and Sam should also arrive soon."

_I'm sorry Lynn, I can't tell you everything now, you're not ready yet, both of you need more experience, this is for your own good, _Albert thought as he went outside.

_He's hiding something from us, maybe he wants to protect us by not telling the full truth? Either way, I have to be more cautious around this town, both me and Lincoln, _were Lynn's thought as she joined Albert on his way to the shop.

It looked like today was gonna be hotter than yesterday, but Lincoln still wore the vest and cap that Albert gave him, despite him being currently angry at him.

He grabbed the Albert's old bike, and went straight to the town again. Not even the shrimping, old rusty bike was able to persuade Lincoln not to go to the town. He just needed some time away from the 'Leviathan' and from Albert and Lynn.

When he thought about a boring summer because he has to spend it with his grandfather far away from home, he never could have imagined even in his wildest dreams that it would come down to fighting supernatural creatures, beings that shouldn't exist. But, what was the true purpose of him being here, was it just pure coincidence, or did it have an ulterior, deeper motive to it?

As Lincoln was busy fighting with his own thoughts, it sounded like he had heard some crunching from the forest to his right side. He slowly stopped his bike, and started to look around. Sure, with a thick forest like this, with trees and other plants all around, it could have been any type of wild animal, or maybe some one was taking a nature walk through the woods, or maybe it was a lumberjack chopping wood and preparing for autumn and winter or maybe...it was something not human or animal at all?

"That wouldn't have surprised me", Lincoln sighed as he shook his head in disappointment.

However, just as he glanced at the left side of the road, he witnessed what seemed like a pair of jarring red eyes starring right at him through a bush. Startled by this, Lincoln nearly fell off his bike but managed to hold his balance. But, as he looked again at the same spot, there was nothing. Just the scorching summer heat and an orchestra of birds singing was the only thing around Lincoln.

_Man, this heat must have hit me in the head, the sooner I get to the town, the better's gonna be, _Lincoln thought to himself. He picked up his cap that had fallen to the ground and started to drive towards the town.

After a few minutes of driving, he had finally arrived at the town. Now, he was thinking, whether he would bring Clyde with him or should he be alone for some time. In the end, he decided that it was safer being with someone then being alone.

_Where does he live again? Oh, I think it's near the hospital, _were Lincoln's inner words as he turned right on the turnpike and started to drive to the hospital.

And indeed, he did find Clyde's house. It was a few buildings away from the Gravity Peaks hospital, but not that far. It was a rather old building, as its walls had already started to crack and it looked like it was no less than thirty years old. It had three stories and Clyde's flat was located in the second, the middle one. Lincoln rang the bell that said "McBride". Nothing happened. It rang several more times, and just as he was about to leave, Clyde appeared through the window that faced Lincoln.

"Oh, it's you Lincoln. Just give me a minute, I'll be right there", Clyde as he closed the window.

Not even a minute passed and Clyde left the his apartment.

"You remembered where I lived even though it was so dark the last night?", Clyde scratched his head.

"Well, I just saw the hospital and knew that it would be somewhere around here, you know. By the way, how did your parents react when you came late, were they angry?"

"Yeah, about that...let's go sit somewhere to escape this heat, grab something to eat or drink and then we can talk in peace."

"Sure, why not. Let's go then."

The two friends went towards the town center, bought some coke, doritos and walked to the other side of the town, where there was less traffic, and a large park with a children's playground, tables for picnic and benches for sitting. Lincoln and Clyde sat on a bench directly beneath a huge oak tree, which provided protection against the sun and the heat.

"Now tell me, how did your parents react, how angry were they?", Lincoln said excitingly as he opened the bag with the doritos.

"Well the truth is, my parents have died six years ago, in a car accident", Clyde calmly replied.

Lincoln dropped the bag in shock, and glanced at Clyde.

"Dude, I'm so sorry, I didn't know that...", Lincoln whispered as he lowered his head and looked at the ground in shame.

"Oh, it's okay, I have accepted it and grown past it. But, the immediate aftermath was the hardest period of my life, for the first six months I was crying and crying. I was depressed and even attempted suicide but a girl that lived nearby saved me, she talked me out of it. I'm forever grateful for that, even though I haven't seen her in a long time, she's still my best friend", Clyde smiled as he started to eat the doritos.

"That's good to know, really...I'm just glad that you're okay now. With who do you live now then?"

"For some time after their deaths, I was in an orphanage, since no known relatives wanted to take care of me. I spent there some few months, until one day a man adopted me. Apparently he was a former scientist or an engineer, that had lost his children young and was also on the verge of suicide, just like I was. Still, I don't know why he chose me, but I'm thankful anyway. His name's Flip, by the way."

"I see, he must be a good guy then. So, how did he react when you came home so late last night?", Lincoln continued as he also started to grab some doritos to eat.

"The truth is, he didn't really care. The front door was unlocked, so he didn't even realize that I came late. In the past few months, he has been drinking constantly, and I still don't the reason for that."

"Does he beat you, abuse you?"

"No, nothing like that at all. Which surprises me honestly, I tried to talk with him about this, to help him but he just brushed it off as nothing. I suspect that it might be related to his children that passed away young, but I'm not gonna make the situation harder for him."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea", Lincoln said as he took a sip from the bottle of the coke.

"But I must say that Albert is the most badass old guy that I have ever seen. I always thought that he was a little eccentric, but what he did last night was just so cool and unexpected!", Clyde quickly changed his expression for serious to total awe towards Lincoln's Pop-Pop.

"Yeah, about that...wait, you're not surprised by a real werewolf attacking us?!", Lincoln wondered.

"I mean, I have always suspected that there was something more in this area. I did see some strange stuff in the woods but never really thought about it seriously. This has only proven my doubts right."

"I guess that's a good thing, but about Albert, he was using Lynn as a bait, to lure the werewolf out, can you believe that? My sister, his granddaughter, he risked her life and he didn't even manage to kill or capture him! That's the reason why I just wanna go home...", Lincoln said through his teeth, trying to suppress the anger he felt against his grandpa.

"I do agree that it was reckless of him, but his intentions were good. Just imagine how many lives he has saved by injuring that monster", Clyde tried to calm his friend down.

"I know that, but still risking her life like that..."

"You're angry at him, I get that, but please, try to forgive him. Now after we know about these...unusual things, we're gonna need to stick together to combat it, now's not the time for in-fighting, you understand?"

After a few moments of an awkward pause, Lincoln started to talk again:

"I guess you're right, the good things do outweigh the bad things, and if I hold the grudge on for too long, it will look extremely petty. When I get back, I'll talk with him and make peace. But I won't return until after three, I'm not in the mood to work now", Lincoln chuckled, with Clyde joining him the laughter.

The two eleven-year-old boys were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't even realize that four hours had passed since they arrived at the park.

"Oh, it's two o'clock already, I have to go Linc, I don't want to make Flip worry", explained Clyde as he go up and threw the empty bottle of coke and bag of doritos in the trashcan.

"All right, I'll escort you to your house, and I'll also make my way home", Lincoln said as he pushed his bike with both of his hands and went with his friend Clyde towards his apartment.

"Thanks for the talk today Lincoln, it was awesome! And the comic that you gave me yesterday, man was it cool, I think that I have read it a dozen times already! When we have more time, we're gonna go to your grandpa's and see what else you have in store. See you", Clyde waved him goodbye as he entered his apartment to his flat.

"See you bro", Lincoln returned the gesture as he turned around and started to drive towards the 'Leviathan'.

_Should I have told him about the pair of red eyes that I saw in the forest on my way to the town? It's probably better that I didn't, it was most likely my imagination, I don't need to complicate things any further, _Lincoln decided.

He started to drive around the town until it was three as he didn't want to work today at the 'Leviathan'. Lincoln saw many pretty girls on his voyage that were his age and some even smiled back at him, but in his head there was only one girl, Sam, the one who worked at Albert's shop. He had crushes on girls before, but this was the first time that he felt was really genuine, despite the fact that she was four years older. Maybe working at the 'Leviathan' isn't that bad of an idea as he can spend time close to Sam…

But as Lincoln was caught with his own thoughts, he heard what sounded like a child crying, near a supermarket. He stopped to hear it better. Indeed, it was a child crying, probably a little girl's, and it sounded genuine.

"Let's go and see what's that about", he decided as he drove towards the sound.

Just around the corner, there was a little girl, who couldn't have been older than five or six, sitting on the ground and bawling in her small hands. Lincoln parked his bike about ten meters away from her, and approached her closer.

The little girl wore blue shorts, a green t-shirt and red crocs. However, to Lincoln's shock, her clothes were in a horrible condition, and they had a foul stench to it. It was immediately clear to him that she was a beggar or even worse, lived on her own.

"Hey, are you okay?", Lincoln said gently as he put his right hand on her back. The little girl slowly raised her head and looked at him: her eyes light blue, but they were full of tears.

"I lost...my parents...can you help me find them?", the girl sniffed as she slowly stood up.

"Wouldn't it be better if we contacted the police?", Lincoln suggested.

"I tried talking with them but they just refused, calling me a boring little brat. Plus they were very rude to a small child like me!", the little girl hissed.

"Okay then, if that's so, I'll personally escort you. Just wait until I get my bike", Lincoln replied as he started to push his bike in the direction the girl was walking. Some inner instinct told him that this was a bad idea but he couldn't just leave a small girl like this on her own.

After several minutes of walking, they came to some empty but dark space between two of the highest buildings in Gravity Peaks.

"You live her-", but suddenly something grabbed Lincoln from the shadows and pulled closer to the darkness, and the girl just smirked, quietly following them.

Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier at the 'Leviathan'…

"Albert, can we go now? It's almost three and the shop's been empty for a while", Sam lamented as she already headed for the front door.

"Fine, fine, it's over for today then. A bunch of slackers, if you ask me...", Albert grumbled to himself.

Sam and Chaz bid Lynn and Albert farewell and left the shop, ending their shift.

"Were is Lincoln by now?", Lynn was curious as she flipped the sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED'.

"His anger should have cooled off by now, I don't like this at all...", Albert sighed.

"Should we go look for him?", Lynn asked.

"Yeah, I guess it's time you guys switched your roles from the last night. Now you're gonna rescue him, heh. Anyway, go wait at the truck while I get the keys and a little surprise", Albert chuckled as he went upstairs.

"Let me go, what do you want from me?!", Lincoln screamed until a woman tied up his hands and mouth.

"Silence boy, or I'll carve you up! Tammy, search him!", a deeper voice from the shadow spoke to him. Lincoln soon realized that he was in a basement, in one of the two buildings that the little girl, whose name was Tammy, lured him to.

_How could I be that stupid?, _ Lincoln blamed himself for this stupid situation he found himself into.

"He only has five dollars...what a waste...", Tammy sighed as her voice was now much different than it was when Lincoln found her.

"So, what are we going to do now?", the woman asked as she started to inspect Lincoln. Her clothes were also in a poor condition.

"Let me think woman, stay silent...", the man rasped.

Albert and Lynn had already made several circles through the center of the town but there was no sight of Lincoln.

"Where could he be? I'm starting to get real worried here...", Albert nervously scratched his nose.

"Pop-Pop, there! That's your bike that you lend Lincoln, right?!", Lynn suddenly shouted, startling his grandpa a bit.

"Yeah it really is! Great work Lynn! Now let's see what's happening with that boy...", Albert parked right behind the bike as he and Lynn stepped out of his truck.

As they slowly approached the building in which Lincoln was held, they could hear louder and louder voices.

"There he is, those three thugs are holding him", Lynn whispered as she peaked through the window that offered a great look at the basement bellow.

"Great, let's go then", Albert signaled towards the stairs as they slowly descended bellow.

"Harry, do you also her this so-", but the woman's sentence was cut short when Albert and Lynn burst through the door, causing the three kidnappers to fall on their butts. Lincoln just looked in shock.

"Drop that knife son, guns are better than swords", Albert smirked as he pointed his Colt Python at the three bandits, including Tammy, the little girl.

"Where did you get that gun!?", Lynn asked in horror.

"That was my surprise, remember?", Albert winked at her, signaling to her to free Lincoln's arms and mouth.

"You okay Lame-o?", Lynn asked as she untied him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks", Lincoln replied as he walked towards his three kidnappers.

"That's what you do?! You use your child so that you can rob people?! What kind of sick man you need to be to do that?", Lincoln yelled in anger at the three.

"Look, I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you or anyone for the record. This knife is just for show, I swear. I have never even used it", the man said in panic.

Lincoln and Lynn looked at Albert on what to do next, but they caught him just staring at the trio before them.

"Pop-Pop, you okay? What's the matter?", Lincoln wondered.

"You look familiar to me, what's you name?", Albert asked as he was still pointing his gun at them.

"I'm Harry, please just don't turn us to the police, I'm begging you", Harry was now genuinely weeping, causing the Lincoln and Lynn to doubt themselves over his villainy.

"Was by any chance, your father Richard the Hard bastard? The one who lost his leg in Vietnam?"

A few moments of silence followed, until:

"Ye-yeah...how do you know that?!", Harry opened his eyes wide in surprise.

Albert finally lowered his gun until he started to laugh. Everyone else was confused.

"Richard was my friend back in my youth! We were basically inseparable. When he lost his leg from a landmine in the war, they had to tie him down to prevent him from going to the battlefield, that's when we gave him the nickname, 'the hard bastard', oh those were the days", Albert swiped a single tear of his cheek as he lowered his gun. Lincoln and Lynn glanced at each other in confusion. Was this really happening?

"I can't believe this, what a coincidence. I do remember a little about his friends from the war, you guys seemed to have a strong bond of camaraderie", Harry said, as he and his family relaxed a bit.

"Where is Richard now?", Albert calmly asked, although he already kinda knew the answer.

"He passed away a few years ago, just as Tammy was born...", Harry replied as he put his hand on his daughter's right shoulder.

"May he rest in peace. But why are you doing this, Harry? Kidnapping people and robing them? Can't you find a more honest job than this? What would you late father think about this?"

"I know, you're right in everything you say. I tried to get hired, at any job possible but I just couldn't get any, so I had to resort to this, but even then my family is more hungry then satiated. The only family that I know I have, is the daughter of my father's sister, but she doesn't know where we are. I think I know her location and I'm pretty sure that she would take us in, at least temporarily until I found a job but the problem is I don't have any money for bus cards for my family...", Harry sobbed.

Albert put his gun away and pulled out his wallet.

"Here's a thousand bucks, go eat something, get yourselves dressed and go to your cousin and say hi from me. But if I ever catch you doing something illegal again, I'll put you in jail myself, is that understood", Albert threatened him.

"Yes sir, thank you so much, I promise you won't see us doing any more harm again, thank you again", Harry cried in gratitude.

"Sorry for luring you here...", Tammy sniffed at Lincoln.

"No problem, kid. It's all good now, now be a good girl and behave, okay?", Lincoln patted her on the head. She happily nodded.

"Well time to go kiddos, see you Harry and remember what I told you. Until we meet again", Albert, Lincoln and Lynn waved them goodbye as they left the basement and entered Albert's truck.

"Harry, what now?...", his wife asked him.

"Let's go get some fresh clothes, eat something and then we'll take the first bus and go for a better life at my cousin's house, come on", Harry smiled as he and his family went with the money that Albert gave them.

"Pop-Pop that was so sweet of you! Especially how you generously gave them that amount of money. By the way, you did really know his father, right?", Lynn asked as she helped Lincoln put the Albert's old bike in the trunk of the truck.

"Of course! Richard was a legend, may God bless him. If I ever found the album from my Vietnam days, I'll show you just how handsome me and my friends were, oh my", Albert grinned, as he remembered the days of his youth that had long since passed.

"Pop-Pop that was...just wow. How you managed to solve everything with words (_and with a little help from a revolver but still), _I actually thought that they would kill me, but I just couldn't leave the girl on her own. I promise to be more careful next time", Lincoln said as he and Lynn entered the front seats of the truck.

"See Lincoln, may this serve as a lesson to you. Not everything has to be solved with violence and fighting, sometimes it's good to use words to minimize the casualties, you know son?", Albert explained as he started the truck and drove off, towards his home and the 'Leviathan'.

"Also I'm sorry for behaving like that this morning, it was kinda petty of me to be so immature when you were clearly trying to help...in your own way, but still, you did save out lives."

"Don't mention it Linc. As a reward of dodging today's work, you'll work a double shift tomorrow, from nine AM to nine PM", Albert chuckled. Lynn was barely able to sustain her laughter.

"All right Pop-Pop...wait, what?!"


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3-Curse of the sad mummy

"Pop-Pop, come on, give us a day off. We came here to visit you, not to be your seasonal workers, and on top of that, you're not even paying us", Lincoln lamented as Albert and Lynn were setting up the table for breakfast.

"Pay for what? Slacking and fooling around? You even managed to infect poor Chaz with your laziness. Plus, you get a free a stay at my house, with free food, and now you want me to pay after all that?", Albert grumbled. Lincoln just shook his head.

"Oh my, let's see what's new for today", Albert grinned as he opened up the fresh newspapers while drinking his morning coffee.

"Any interesting?", Lynn wondered as she started to eat the omellete that Albert had made, one of his cooking 'specialities'.

"Nothing really, just boring politics...oh, look at this. A very famous Canadian archeologist will hold a live presentation of a mummified child that he discovered six months ago. He's supposed to deliver him to the main Canadian Museum in Ottawa, but will stop in the small town of Gravity Peaks for one night and will continue his journey tomorrow. Today, from 3 PM to 6 AM, visitors will be able to see and take photos of the mysterious kid mummy in the Gravity Falls History Museum, but no touching will be permitted. Everyone who is a fan of history and antique things is welcome to come for this unique event. Heh, I almost forgot that we had a museum and now we're gonna host a real life mummy, guess we are really becoming more and more urbanized", Albert chuckled as he too started to eat his 'speciality'.

"Are you gonna go Pop-Pop", Lynn asked.

"Who, me? No way kiddo, I have seen enough dead people in my lifetime, don't wanna any more nightmares. What about you two, would you like to go?"

"Wait, you mean it for real?", Lincoln was beyond excited.

"Why, of course! You did want a day off work, right? And this could be a great experience for the both of you, don't you think?", Albert laughed.

"I will definitely go, no way I'm gonna miss this. I just wish that Lucy were here, she would like a creepy thing like this. Or Lisa, for some of her science stuff or something...by the way, you'll come too Lynn, right?", Lincoln quickly finished his meal, the prospect of seeing a real mummy was really hyping him up.

"I mean, it's not that interesting for me, maybe if it was a mummy of a famous player, then I would care more. But I'll still go with you, to ensure that you don't get lost or robbed again", Lynn teased her younger brother.

"Very funny...Pop-Pop can you give us some money? We don't know if it's gonna cost us the entrance", Lincoln nearly jumped from his chair out of excitement.

"I can give you twenty dollars."

"Twenty for me and twenty for Lynn?"

"Um, no. Twenty for the both of you."

"What?! Please Pop-Pop, this is a once in a lifetime experience, I don't think that I'll be able to witness this thing again", Lincoln used Lynn's old tactic of putting puppy eyes to get his wish. However, Albert appeared unfazed.

"Ugh, all right then, here's fifty bucks for you two to split it up."

"When will we go then Lynn?"

"It's too early and it only starts in three...and honestly I'm not really that interest in randomly lurking around the town."

"So what will you do then? Work here? He gave us a day off, remember."

"Yeah, I know but it's not like we do construction work here, I mostly just fool around with Sam and help her occasionally, we'll go at half past two, okay?"

"All right fine then, but I'm not gonna work here on my day off. I'll watch the people fishing who are fishing at the lake until we go, see you then", Lincoln said as he went outside.

_Think you're gonna bribe with some money eh you cheap old man, _Lincoln smirked.

"Well, thanks Lynn for your help. I'll take care of the dishes, you can go and clean the dust in the shop if you want, I'll come right after I take care of this", Albert said as he got up and started to take the dirty dishes to the sink in the kitchen. Lynn then went outside and unlocked the shop with the reserve key that Albert gave her.

The Michigan Lake was one of the Five Great Lakes and the only one to be located completely in the States. Lincoln found great peace in just looking in the distance and some occasional fisherman who would come to try his luck. Although Lincoln did find it awkward that there weren't that many people fishing here or bathing, it was kinda a good thing since it meant that they had more freedom for themselves.

_I'm gonna have to get me of these fishing rods to try this, shouldn't be too hard. _

Hours had passed since Lincoln was looking at the lake. Until it was three PM, he also briefly ventured into the mysterious forest around the 'Leviathan' and that followed the path to the centre of the town, but he didn't stay there long. He remembered his experience from last week when he saw (or at least he thought that he had seen) a pair of red eyes looking right back at him, so he concluded that it wasn't very wise lurking around the forest, especially on his own.

"Lynn, come on, it has already started, where are you?", Lincoln asked loudly as he entered the shop.

"All right I'm coming Stinkcoln. Hey that just came out unexpectedly, now I have a new nickname for you, I really need to write a list down so that I don't forget these many new ideas", Lynn chuckled as she was tying her shoelaces.

_I really wish that I was with another sister here, really, any other sister at all. _

"Thank for that. Now, where is Pop-Pop? I thought maybe he could give us a ride, considering how hot it is today...", Lincoln said as he went outside.

"Oh, he already said that he won't because he is watching some old Western films and he doesn't want to get disturbed. But he gave me permission to use Aunt Harriet's old bike, just like you use his old bike", Lynn explained as she started to blow the dust off the old, rusty bike.

"Aunt Harriet? Who's that?", Lincoln scratched his head.

"Geez Lame-o, it's Pop-Pop' younger sister, they shared the room that we share now, and she was also two years older then him, may she rest in peace. Isn't that just awesome, and we're even gonna use their bikes!"

"Wait a second, isn't she the one that looks exactly like Lucy?"

"Yeah, that's her."

"Oh, now I remember, it's just that we rarely talk about her."

"Maybe because she was also a Goth like Lucy and had some weird preferences? Anyway, let's go now, or we're gonna pass this thing", Lynn concluded.

The two siblings drove off to the town, constantly bickering between one another, but they did manage to arrive without fighting...too much.

"I honestly expected more people here...guess the citizens here don't really like mummies", Lincoln said as he and Lynn parked their bikes near the museum. Even though they didn't know where the museum was located, they found it pretty easily by using road signs.

"For the time that we have been here, most of the people here are lame, which is kinda a shame. By the way, why didn't you call Clyde to join us, I think that he would also like to see this since you two seem to be good friends with common interest in comics", Lynn wondered as she and Lincoln entered the museum.

"I did call him but he said that he was out of town and wouldn't make it in time. Really sucks for him", Lincoln replied as they stumbled upon two policemen who were standing in front of the entrance to the main hall where the mummy was located.

"Oh, you two must surely be here to see the mummy. Step ahead, but please don't touch the mummy", one of the police officers kindly said.

"It's free? Really?", Lincoln was surprised.

"Since a lot less people visited than expected, Mr. Cranston, the archeologist, then decided for it to be free", the other policeman explained. The siblings nodded and stepped in the main hall.

There were less than twenty people in the hall, most of them old folks. But, that didn't bother Lincoln, who came as close as he could to the mummy, which seemed smaller than him, and took a good look at it. Unfortunately, it's face wasn't visible as it was completely covered by the bandages except for two holes where its eyes were supposed to be.

"So, do you have any camera or something to take a picture?", Lynn asked as she slowly started to sweat, she wasn't particularly enjoying the view like Lincoln was.

"Dang it, I forgot to ask Pop-Pop about it...doesn't matter. Actually, you know what I wanna do?"

"Uh, no I don't, I can't read your mind", Lynn snarkily replied. Lincoln sighed.

"I want to touch the mummy", he whispered into her ear.

"And why would you want that? It's forbidden, I don't wanna end up in jail over a stupid thing like this."

"We'll do it when there's no one around. Besides, if I can't take a photo, I can at least touch it or are you to scared, Chickenlynn? Hey, that's awesome, I need a list to write down all the nicknames I gather for you, otherwise it would be a waste if I forget them all, don't you think so?", Lincoln teaser his older sister, gaining revenge for today's morning.

"Who, me? Please, Lame-o, don't make me laugh. I can do it right now if you want", Lynn silently hissed at him, competition was the thing that gets her blood boiling at the fastest rate.

"Okay 'Lynnsanity', calm down. Let's just bide our time and walk around a little..."

After approximately half an hour, one of the policemen informed the visitors that they would make a quick pause of ten minutes, and that they would close the presentation until then. All of the visitors left...except Lincoln and Lynn who hid in the male bathroom.

"Should we also go and eat? I heard there is a bonus on donuts, the finest sort", one of the policemen asked the other.

"I don't know...if something happens to the mummy, we'll be guilty", the other replied.

"Nothing will happen, we'll only be gone for ten minutes, we'll lock the museum, and you already saw how little people there were. This is a dead town, come on."

"All right, you got me, let's go then but we must be fast", the two cops left the museum and locked the door behind them. The Loud siblings were now the only two people left in the building, apparently.

"This is probably the craziest thing that we've ever done", Lynn said as they left the bathroom.

"Tell me about it", Lincoln grinned, as they approached the open sarcophagus.

"Uh, I'm...I'm sorry, but could you two help with something?", said a kid's voice from the sarcophagus. Lincoln and Lynn instantly froze, with their eyes wide open and a cold sweat suddenly started to stream down their faces.

"Lincoln, are...are you doing th-this?", Lynn said in a barely audible voice.

"Nope...remember Luan's not here...", Lincoln replied in an equally mortified voice.

"I'm really sorry for scaring you but I'm just lonely, I need someone to talk to...", the child's voice could be heard again and then it happened.

The mummified kid slowly got up, wiped some dust from himself and turned towards them.

Lynn nearly let out a scream but Lincoln covered her mouth in time with both of his hands, greatly suppressing her.

"Be quiet, if they find out that we're inside, they're gonna kill. Now, I'm gonna remove my hands and you won't scream, okay?", Lincoln furrowed his brows as Lynn nodded. He slowly removed his hands.

"What in the world is that?! It's an undead mummy, call the cops, the army!", Lynn panicked while Lincoln gave himself a facepalm.

_Talk about being quiet. _

"I'm deeply sorry if I scared you, I just needed some company...", the mummy replied, in a very soft and innocent voice. Lincoln took a deep breath.

"I...I really don't know what to say. You're a living mummy, right?", Lincoln was curious as he took a step forward, Lynn looked at him with her eyes full open.

"I dead a long time ago, but my soul didn't go to the afterlife. It's trapped somewhere between the mortal earth and the astral world, and I can temporarily return to my mortal body or should I say corpse but sadly my soul can advance to the next world, to reunite with my family, that's the reason why I asked you when I noticed that you didn't leave with the others."

"Okay...I just have a few questions. How are you speaking English and not ancient Egyptian?", Lincoln asked as he took another step back, the mummy didn't seem to mind.

_What is that fool doing, _were Lynn's thoughts.

"I have travelled for six months with Dr. Cranston, and I just absorbed whatever he was talking, and I learned his language that way. I still don't know how but I'm glad that I did. By the way, my name is Khufu, and I was a prince, next in the line, but not that it matters anymore", little Khufu sighed.

"I'm Lincoln and this is my sister Lynn. What happened to your family when you said that you want to reunite with them?", Lincoln continued as he took some more steps towards the mummy and they were now just two meters apart from each other.

"One day, I don't know how, I was running around some old building and it just crumbled, turned to dust. I don't know how, just happened. And then, when I got home, the worst thing in my life happened. Everyone and everything just started to turn to dust, people, animals, buildings, my own parents, brothers, sisters, and the girl that I had a crush on. I promised that I would marry her but sadly it never happened as she died because of me, I killed them all. And after I destroyed my own people, I started to travel through the desert but the result was the same-everyone who came near me just perished, turning into dust. Then, everyone started to run away from me, until I secluded my self to a small mountain, which surprisingly didn't get destroyed, for whatever reason, and I started to cry. And I cried for many days and nights, just wishing for this curse to end until I passed away. I don't know what happened after that, only that they called my situation the 'Curse of the sad mummy'. I was only ten when I died."

"Woah, that's really tragic, I'm really sorry, but don't blame yourself, Khufu. It's not your fault, that just came, that curse, you couldn't have known. But speaking of the curse, how is that the two of us aren't affected by it?", Lincoln wondered and Lynn also approached Khufu, finally getting over her fear of him.

"I don't know honestly but this is fascinating, really. Maybe you have some kind of immunity on yourself? Anyway, I think you're the only two who can help me now."

"What do you need us to do?", Lynn asked, startling the two boys.

"Mr. Cranston, the red stone on his staff, I think that's the reason why my soul can't travel to the afterlife. It looks like it's the vessel that keeps my soul attached to this world."

"Wait, how do you know that?", Lincoln asked.

"I'm not hundred percent sure, but I overheard him talking about it and just connected the dots. I couldn't have done it because then everyone around me would die and I don't want that. That's why you two need to try. If you do that, I will be forever in your debt. But even if you don't, I won't be mad, really", Khufu smiled, the smile clearly visible even through his bandages.

"We will do it, don't worry. You will get reunited with your family, I can guarantee you that. Come on Lincoln, let's do it now", said Lynn as she went for the exit.

"Where is Dr. Cranston now?", Lincoln asked.

"He stays at the hotel, but he never leaves without staff. That's all I know I'm sorry."

"All right, we'll find him no problem, just what do we need to do with the stone?"

"Just bring it to me, I'll settle it. Oh, and please don't hurt Dr. Cranston, he's not a bad man."

"Okay then, let's do this", just as Lincoln said, the door started to get unlocked. Khugu swiftly went to the sarcophagus and feigned dead, while Lincoln and Lynn ran towards the bathroom.

The two cops unlocked the door, and this time, there were much more visitors, including kids around Lincoln's and Lynn's age. After waiting for few minutes, the two siblings stepped out from the bathroom and made their way to the front door. Nobody seemed to notice anything suspicious until:

"Hey you two, I don't remember seeing you enter the museum behind us right now", one of the policemen suddenly said just as Lincoln and Lynn were leaving through the front door.

"Uh, we were, sir, you must have confused us with someone", Lincoln replied, trying to sound as perfectly normal as possible. Lynn just nodded.

"All right then, it must have been the sun that hit me in the head, have a nice day kids", the cop said as Lincoln and Lynn left the museum.

"Man, that was close. Now, where could he be? Dr. Cranston, I mean", Lynn scratched her head as she and Lincoln mounted their bikes.

"Let's search every restaurant or café, it shouldn't take us long, this is isn't a large town, what do you think?", Lincoln suggested.

"All right then, let's go", Lynn nodded and they set off, looking from one building to another. They had seen his poster from inside the museum so they roughly knew how he looked like, but the most important thing to them was his staff, with a red stone on its head.

After approximately half an hour of searching, they found an elderly man with a staff that matched the description.

"And what now?", Lynn asked they parked their bikes near the restaurant where Cranston was sitting alone, drinking coffee and reading newspapers.

"You go and talk with him for a while, I don't know, you need some help for a school project, something like that. Meanwhile, I'll try and extract the stone from the staff, okay? Let's do it, for Khufu", Lincoln explained as he sneaked to the side of the restaurant, where he could barely reach the staff as the restaurant was a little elevated compared to the ground that he was standing on.

"Dr. Cranston? I'm sorry for bothering you, but I wondered if you could somehow help me about my school project whose main theme is Ancient Egypt", Lynn asked if she approached the archeologist.

"Why of course young girl! Please take a seat, do you want to drink, eat something? My threat!", Cranston was rather excited at the prospect of someone actually asking him about stuff that he knows since no one so far was that much interested in his expeditions and research.

Lynn gave Lincoln a small wave of her hand as a sign that he could start and take off the stone from the staff. Lincoln slowly extended his hand and grabbed the staff. Then, he pulled it back to him and started to inspect it, Dr. Cranston didn't notice as he was too busy talking with Lynn.

_All right, now comes the funny part, _Lincoln tried to pull the stone away from the head of the staff but to no avail.

"Please, this is for a little kid's sake, he just wants so see his loved ones...", Lincoln whispered in desperation, when he felt a slight vibration from the stone. He immediately tried to pull it off again-and this time it worked, for whatever reason.

He put the staff in the same place and waved to Lynn that he was finished. But only another half an hour passed until she was finally over talking with Dr. Cranston.

"So, how was the history talk? I bet Lisa must be jealous of you", Lincoln grinned as they drove off towards the museum.

"Ugh, my head hurts, it was so, so boring, but at least it was worth it", Lynn lamented as they arrived to the museum.

"So, are we gonna wait until everyone's gone or...", Lynn wondered.

"It's four now. There will probably be another pause. Let's wait until then to give Khufu the stone", Lincoln explained as they entered the museum again and pretended to watch around and talk about history.

It wasn't until five that the cops called another pause as they shift had ended and another two cops would take their place. Again, the Loud siblings hid in the bathroom until everyone was gone and then they stepped out.

"Khufu, we got it! You're gonna see your family again!", Lincoln and Lynn nearly said in unison as they ran towards his sarcophagus. He swiftly jumped out of it.

"You two are really the best, thank you guys!", the little mummy shouted in excitement as he gave the two siblings a double hug. Getting hugged by a mummy was definitely one of the coolest things that could happen to them.

"So, how does this work?", Lincoln asked as he handed the stone to Khufu.

"I'm not sure myself, but it shouldn't be too hard to understand...", the child mummy grabbed the stone in his small right hand...but nothing happened. Not until it started to glow red and a swishing sound was heard after a bright red flash.

"What...what's happening? Is it working?", Lincoln asked as he and Lynn covered their eyes in protection from the stark light that was flashing in front of them.

But as the event ended, Khufu wasn't standing in front of them anymore, instead his corpse where it was before, in his sarcophagus, laying idly, motionless.

"Did it fail...", Lynn whispered in disbelief.

"Khufu, did it go well?", Lincoln asked as he approached the mummy.

"It did, I'm ascending slowly. Sadly, you can't see my human self, when I was still alive but that's okay. I'm sure than we will meet again someday. Goodbye friends...", Khufu's voice could be heard as it slowly faded away. Lincoln and Lynn stared above them for a few moments.

"We did it, Lynn. We successfully reunited a child with his family, we did a good thing...Lynn, are you crying?", Lincoln turned to his sister's side as he saw her wiping some tears from he cheeks.

"I'm not, it's just my allergy, that's all", Lynn hissed as she went towards the bathroom. Lincoln smiled as he joined her.

_Yeah, sure it is Lynn. But it's okay to cry, that's a human thing to do. _

After a few minutes, the two new policemen returned for the last hour of the open visit for the mummy. The siblings again left the bathroom and soon after, the museum. Then, they went home, seeing as they did what they wanted to do today.

Later that night…

"Hey Pop-Pop, wanna play Uno with us?", Lincoln asked as the trio was watching some old Western film with John Wayne (not like Albert watched anything else).

"Uno? What's that?", Albert was confused.

"The most popular card game in the world. It's really fun and it also requires strategy, that's ideal for you", Lynn joined in as she already started to shuffle the deck that Lincoln had brought here with him from Royal Woods.

"All right, let's see it then. By the way, how was the visit to the mummy today? Did you guys have a good experience? I forgot to give my old camera to take a few pictures, what a pity", Albert sighed.

"Oh don't worry, Pop-Pop. We had the best time of our lives", replied Lincoln as he and Lynn exchanged smiles.

It was the first time since they had arrived in Gravity Peaks that they had some quality family time.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4-The great fishing contest

"Why are there a bunch of boats and people outside? I don't think that I have seen this many people since we have arrived", Lincoln scratched his head as he was watching outside the window from Albert's house.

"I don't know, maybe today is some special day or something", Lynn replied as she went to the kitchen.

Albert was sitting and eating breakfast at the dining table: eggs, bacon and orange juice. Lynn also noticed that he looked unusually happy, barely able to contain a grin across his face as he was reading the newspapers.

"What's up Pop-Pop, you look happier", Lynn chuckled as she tapped him on the shoulder and took a seat.

"Oh, hey Lynn. Today is a very special day, the yearly 'Great Fishing Contest'. The best fishermen from all around the state are gonna be here to try and catch the biggest one. I don't think I've ever been this excited", Albert laughed as finished his meal.

"I see, the great fishing contest, so, what's it about"?, Lynn asked as she started to eat her eggs.

"You see kid, it's abou-, wait a second, I'm old but I'm not senile, you little brat! Don't play those games with me", Albert pointed his finger at Lynn but she couldn't take him seriously so she burst out laughing.

"A contest, you say, hmm...but what about the shop, I find it hard to believe that you would leave it to the four of us", Lincoln entered the kitchen, having overheard their conversation.

"The 'Leviathan' will not work today, that's logical, everyone will be cheering for their favorite teams or participating. Plus, I will participate too, so there's that", Albert explained as he stood up and started to walk towards his room.

"Who's gonna be in your team? Surely you're not going alone...", Lincoln said absentmindedly as he and Lynn were now fully invested in finishing their meal.

"Of course not! You, your sister and Chaz are gonna be in my team, we are aiming to be the champs this year, oh yeah!", Albert cheerfully exclaimed as he entered his room and closed the door.

Both Lincoln and Lynn momentarily stopped eating. They didn't actually think that they would go fishing at the lake with their grandpa, much less at a fishing contest. Now, they had to create some plausible excuses to try and evade this event.

After a few minutes, Albert stepped outside of his room, fully equipped with his fishing gear, and a fishing hat. Both Loud siblings glanced at him.

"Uh, Pop-Pop, I don't think that I'll be able to come, because, uh...", Lincoln tried hard to imagine something but nothing came to his mind. He bowed his head in defeat. Lynn just nodded.

"It's not that scary, really. I was also afraid at first, but once you get the gist of it, you'll love it, I can guarantee you that. It will be an unforgettable experience", Albert laughed as he handed them two life vests.

"Put these on, let's go".

The three Louds left their house and saw Chaz already waiting outside with a life vest on.

"Yo dudes, you ready for some fishing?", Chaz waved at them.

"Hey Chaz, just wait a bit, I have to give Lynn something. Come with me Lynn", Albert said as his granddaughter followed him to the shop.

"I already gave your brother a hat and a vest, and you deserve a gift too. Here, take these", Albert gave her a red sports headband. Lynn took it and put it on her forehead, just bellow her hairline.

"Thanks Pop-Pop, it looks neat"!

"Yeah, it does. But do you know to who it belonged?", Albert winked at her.

Lynn could feel her heart starting to beat faster. There was _no _way that this belonged to a famous sportist, right?

"Bobby Orr himself wore it when he was jogging in the early seventies. I met him just once, in one of those jogs in Boston, right after returning from the war. As a sign of respect, he pulled it right from his head and handed it to me, still wet from his sweat. Needless to say, I was in shock and was frozen for a solid few moments", Albert smiled as he waved his right hand. Lynn suspected that he was wiping away a tear.

"Bo-Bo-Bo...", Lynn started to stutter, as she stared at the ceiling. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath.

"But why are you giving it to me Pop-Pop? This is like a holy grail of the sports, you can't just give it to anyone like that."

"You're not anyone, you're my granddaughter, my blood. Plus I was never the sports type, I mean the one to play sports, I'm still an expert at watching sports and getting fat in front of the TV. But since you're so talented, you deserve it. I'm sure it'll bring you luck", Albert smiled and patted her on the head.

"Come on you guys, it looks like it's starting", Lincoln lamented from the outside.

"Let's go now, we've got a contest to win", Albert said as he and Lynn left the shop.

_Bobby Orr's headband is mine now and I'm carrying it! This is like a dream come true_!

"I only realized it now, we don't have a boat...", Lincoln was confused.

"Maybe you don't, but I have and it's ready to sail the seas, I mean, the lake. I always get this part wrong...", Albert mumbled as the four of them approached the shore. A 42 feet white fishing boat was tied up to a wooden pole.

"Woah Pop-Pop, that's pretty luxurious. Where did you keep it?", Lynn asked as the group climbed up on the ship.

"Mr. Albert, this wood feels so nice!", Chaz shouted as he stomped on the ground several times.

"Hey, careful with that!", Albert rasped. "I asked a friend of mine to take care of it since I don't have room for it, ya know. But the only thing that matters now, is that we win, right team?", Albert laughed. Lincoln and Lynn just glanced at each other.

"Welcome my dear friends to another Gravity Peaks yearly fishing contest! This year we have less than usual competitors but its okay. Since you're all so impatient to start, I'll just give you a quick explanation. You have three hours to catch as much fish as you can but the judges will also take in consideration the quality of your prey, not just the quantity. I hope you all have watches, because if you're not by noon, you will be disqualified. Any questions?", a fat man with a moustache shouted from a mic who stood in front of the judges table. There were five judges. Two older men, two middle-aged men and one elderly woman.

"Come on, let's just start already!", someone of the competitors shouted.

"All right then, let's go, it's nine o'clock now. Let the 2019. great fishing contest commence!", the announcer cried as the twenty boats of varying shapes and colors finally started their motors and went off into the inner lake.

There were around hundred visitors by the shore but most of them weren't really interested in fishing. They sat at the tables, eating, drinking and having a laugh. Only about twenty men, most of them in their forties and fifties, were actually invested in the contest. They sat on plastic chairs near the judges table, drinking beer and talking of their past fishing experiences.

The 'Leviathan Four', as Albert had dubbed them, were now completely away from the shore, Albert's house and shop weren't visible any more and the other competitors also scattered around, each one in their own direction. The group of four were now completely alone in the middle of the lake.

"Ah, finally at peace. Now, to win this thing, finally", Albert clapped his hands as he dragged a fishing net from the bottom of the ship and was preparing to use it after a long time.

"You already competed here Pop-Pop?", Lincoln was curious. Chaz and Lynn were watching the waves of the water slowly rising and falling in amazement.

"Five times, yeah. I didn't win but that doesn't matter. This time I have a feeling that we can win this time", Albert replied as he threw the net in the water.

"Where is Sam, why didn't she come?", Lincoln asked as he joined Chaz and Lynn at the right side of the ship.

"Since she has a day off, she decided to spend the entire day with her boyfriend", Chaz explained. Lynn's eyes went wide and she glanced at her younger brother.

Lincoln could feel something choking him from the inside. Sam...has a boyfriend?! He prepared himself for this situation but never actually thought that it would come true. The first girl that he genuinely liked, and she was with someone else.

"I'm gonna go and...uh, I'll be alone for some time", Lincoln grumbled as he limped to the front side of the boat.

"Is he okay? He looks kinda sad...", Chaz scratched his head.

_Lame-o has suffered his first heartbreak._

"He'll be fine, don't worry about him. But why did you come with us on your day off? It feels kinda odd that you want to fishing with a boring old man", Lynn smirked but quickly glanced at Albert to make sure that he didn't hear her. She didn't want to end over the board. Literally.

"I was bored at home so I came at my own will. Plus mister Albert really wants to win this year and I want to help him at that", Chaz explained.

_Poor guy, Albert must have brainwashed him into going on his own accord, or hold him on gunpoint._

"Come on you sea rats, enough slacking! Come and help with this, try to be useful for once", Albert rasped as threw the net into the water. Lynn sighed, she and Chaz went to Albert's side.

Lincoln was still staring in the distance until he saw something. It looked like a landmass at first sight. However, as the mist cleared, it became more and more apparent that it was a small island, with a hill and a forest around it.

_An island? Here in the middle of nowhere? Maybe this contest won't be as boring as I thought._

Albert pulled the net and it was full of various types of fish. They were flickering around, splattering water at the three of them but that didn't matter. The trio was happy that they managed to catch their first prey.

"Great job sir! We are the champions!", Chaz was excited.

Lynn clapped her hands but abruptly stopped when she left something.

The great lake was fairly tame, even in the open. That's why she felt so odd when the vibration started. Then it got stronger. Now both Chaz and Albert glanced at each other. Everyone was feeling it now.

"Pop-Pop, what is going on?! Looks like an earthquake!", Lincoln yelled as he sprinted towards them. The waves were getting even bigger and bigger. Albert's boat was moving violently left and right.

"Go under the deck, now!", Albert shouted as the group ran down the stairs. The net which was full of fish, fell into the raging water.

"This can't be a storm, the weather is sunny with no clouds", Lynn cried.

"Then what is it?! A sea monster?!", Lincoln shouted.

_The island! We can take shelter there!_

"Pop-Pop, I think I saw an island not too far from here! We can sail there until this storm passes!", Lincoln suggested. Albert raised his head.

"Island? I don't remember one being here but it doesn't matter now. I'll go to the command cabin and drive us there. You stay here and don't come up unless I call you, is that understood?!", Albert ordered them as he ran up the deck and to the steering wheel. He turned the motor on and started to drive towards the island, with the boat barely standing on top of the water. Albert and the trio bellow suffered many painful bumps as they raced towards safety.

"At least this didn't turn out to be a boring fishing trip", Lincoln smirked. Lynn groaned and punched him in the shoulder.

"Ouch! That hurt!", Lincoln cried as he rubbed his hand over the spot where she hit him.

"Now's not the time for jokes Lincoln!", Lynn hissed at him.

But before they had time to consider it, Albert suddenly stepped on the brakes, causing them all to bump forwards and crash into the wall.

"I think I broke something...", Lynn yelped.

"The wall looks fine to me", Chaz said as he got up.

"I meant my own bones!", Lynn rolled her eyes as she slowly got up.

"We have probably arrived at that island", Lincoln said as he scratched the back of his hand.

"Come on, you can get out now", Albert yelled from the deck.

The trio went upstairs and saw the boat stranded at the shore of the island. Albert was already standing on the sand, tapping the ground with his fishing boots.

"Wow, I didn't think something like this existed in this lake", Lynn said as she took a few steps towards the forest in front of them.

"Neither did I...me and my friend were at this place several times but I don't think that I have ever seen this island...", Albert wondered. This wasn't a normal occurrence.

But just as they calmed down, the weird sound started again. The water was getting more and more violent as the massive waves splashes into one another in a huge collision. Still, the weather was clear, with no clouds at all.

"It's starting again!", Chaz yelled. Albert didn't wait long: he signalled the kids to follow him into the unknown forest.

"We'll be more protected here in the forest from the water", Albert said as they were running between the various trees. However, they abruptly stopped when they arrived to a small lake in the centre of the island.

"Great, another lake", Lynn sarcastically said.

"What are we gonna do now? Do you have a cell phone or a walkie-talkie Pop-Pop?", Lincoln asked as he looked around the island. He felt an odd presence near and that feeling made him very nervous.

"I don't think that I have one right now...even if I had one, I doubt that we have any signal here, it would be futile", Albert sighed.

"So, are we gonna just wait for this to stop or what else?", Lynn groaned as she kicked the dirt beneath her with her sneakers.

"Sorry kiddos, but it's not like you have school or any other activity for today, right? Plus, you can see this as a sea vacation, no?", Albert nervously smiled as he scratched the back of his head. The trio just shook their heads.

And indeed, they laid around, each one busy with their own thoughts on what this strange thing could be. They would occasionally exchange a few words, Lynn would punch Lincoln, causing him to chase after her, amusing her greatly. Albert even shared some of his old fishing stories, but that was a rather bad move as Chaz and Lincoln felt a twirling in their stomachs from all the water around them. Lynn just groaned in annoyance.

No one knew how much time had exactly passed. It could have been hours since the contest started, they were probably even disqualified at this moment but that didn't bother them at all. The 'Leviathan' group just wanted to get home, safe and sound but that proved difficult with all the giant tidal waves around them. They were so big and violent that Albert didn't even want to risk making a run for it with the boat as it would endanger the lives of his grandkids and his worker.

"Man, this is ridiculous. We've been here for hours at least and nobody even bothered to come and look for us. What is going on here exactly?", Lincoln finally stood up and walked to the small lake in the middle of island.

"I really don't know Lincoln. There shouldn't be any fish this big in the Michigan Lake to create such large waves. I just-", but Albert suddenly stopped speaking and pointed a finger at the small lake with his eyes wide open.

"What is it?", Lynn asked as she and Chaz also got up and joined Lincoln and Albert near the lake.

"What is that?!", Chaz asked in horror as something was moving in the water.

They didn't have to wait long for their answer: five small octopuses swam up from the bottom of the lake, screeching loudly as if they were calling for their mother. They were reddish-orange in colour and each had eight tentacles. They weren't longer than two or three feet.

"Woah, I never thought that I would see any octopuses here!", Lynn shouted in amazement.

"Yeah, me too, as little as I know from biology, there shouldn't be any here", Lincoln added as he leaned over to take a better look.

_He's right, there shouldn't be any at all! What is going on here?! I have lived here for decades and this is the first time seeing something like this here...I have a bad feeling about this, _Albert gulped.

"Just be sure not to touch them and...kids, we have to go now", Albert stuttered as drops of sweat started to roll down his face. He turned around and started to walk towards the boat in a hurry.

"Pop-Pop, wait for us!", Lincoln screamed as the trio followed the old man.

"What's the hurry gramps? You look like you saw a monster, not a pair of cute little octopuses", Lynn narrowed her eyes.

"No, it's just that it's too risky to stay here, you know", Albert nervously smiled.

_He's hiding something again, but what is it this time, _Lynn thought.

"Ah, there is the boat, let's...just...what in the name of...", Albert's voice started to get shaky as he fell down to his knees. The kids all raised their eyes in horror.

What seemed like a round head started to get out of the water, with its colour being red. A large amount of waves were getting splashed around the mysterious object as it slowly rose from the water.

"That can't be...", Albert whispered.

A gigantic octopus finally rose completely from the sea, waving around with its massive eight tentacles. It was easily around 200 feet long and weighed around 200 tonnes. One slap on the open water was like a small nuke got detonated, with two enormous waves of water rising up, dwarfing even the island on which the group was stranded and finally falling back down, splashing water all over the island.

"We're dead, we're all dead now...", Chaz started to cry and buried his face deep into the sand of the shore.

"Get yourself together Chaz, we don't need this now", Lynn put her hands on Chaz's back trying to reassure him.

"Pop-Pop...this thing, this monster shouldn't exist anywhere on the world, let alone here. What now?", Lincoln asked absent-mindedly as he blankly stared the creature waving around its massive tentacles.

"It doesn't look very happy, that's for sure...", Albert whispered.

_Could it be...the Kraken? But why here, in America? And near me, on top of it all. This is too suspicious to be a coincidence, _Albert gasped.

The Kraken's skin was now getting purple and its two massive bulbous eyes were heating up with fury. It raised one of its giant tentacles and swung it downwards towards the island: it narrowly missed it but still managed to produce a small earthquake on the island and another tidal wave around it.

"Woah, you are you all okay?", Albert asked as they fell to the ground from the sheer impact of the monster's attack.

"What does it want from us?!", Lincoln yelled.

But the Kraken didn't wait long as slapped the water again and again. The scene was now more reminiscent of an apocalypse than a fishing contest with a massive amount of water being splashed around but strangely, the Kraken never once attacked directly. It could have easily split the island in two, destroying it in the process and killing the four unfortunate victims on it. Albert was the first one to realize that. Without waiting too long, he rushed to his boat, took another fishing net and sprinted towards the centre lake.

"I see...Lincoln, you'll come with me! Lynn you take care of Chaz, don't let something happen to him!", Albert yelled as and Lincoln joined him without even thinking.

"Of course, he's doing awesome things and I'm stuck here babysitting!", Lynn rasped as Chaz was still shaking and sobbing under her arms.

"Just do as I say, dammit! Is she always this stubborn at home too?", Albert waved at her.

"Most of the times, yeah", Lincoln grinned.

After they arrive, Albert quickly threw the net into the water and caught the five octopus children.

"What are you doing Pop-Pop?", Lincoln wondered as the Kraken hit the water around them again. Both Lincoln and Albert ducked just in case.

"Think about it son, the monster's not attacking the island directly even though he could. Why? Because he doesn't want to hurt his kids, it's just angry that he doesn't know exactly where they are. You understand now?", Albert said as he tied the net, and with the help of Lincoln, carried it to their boat.

"I get what you mean, but are you sure that the giant monster will leave us alone if we deliver its kids?"

"For all of our sakes, let's hope so", Albert sighed.

"Took you long enough!", Lynn angrily hissed.

"Just wait Lynn, we're going home after this...", Albert smirked as he opened the net and threw it into the water.

The little octopuses screeched and the Kraken seemed to finally stop attacking. Its colour was also slowly reverting back to red. With one of its massive tentacles, it grabbed the kids, which seemed microscopic against their parent's size.

The Kraken's eyes were also more relaxed now and it raised one of its tentacles high in the air before disappearing in the deep water with its children. Was that raised tentacle a sign of respect?

"I can't believe it's finally over. Now this will be a tale to tell everyone", Lincoln shouted.

"You will not tell this to anyone, this didn't happen at all, we just didn't have enough time and luck. That's the reason why we lost", Albert furrowed his brows as he entered the boat. The rest of the group also joined him.

"Aw man, that sucks...", Lincoln sighed but deep down he also knew that this was the best decision.

"How are you Chaz, feeling better?", Albert asked as he turned on the motor.

"Yes sir, I'm better now. But that thing is gonna give me nightmares for nights", the poor boy was still slightly shaking. Lynn gave him a blanket to cover himself.

"What in the world was that? I have seen a few animal shows but I don't think that I have ever seen an octopus that big", Lynn was curious as Albert finally started to drive towards their home.

"I don't know Lynn, I really wish I did, but I don't know. Let's just hope that nobody else is gonna experience what we did today", Albert replied.

_I have a bad feeling that this isn't the end...sorry kids but it looks like you're also a part of this now. _

As expected, the shore was nearly empty, with only the judges, the fat announcer guy and a few older people left standing there. All of the boats were gone.

"Looks like the last competitor has arrived, the 'Leviathan' crew! Welcome back, I sure hope that you had a great experience", the fat announcer winked.

"Oh, believe us, it was unforgettable, _really _unforgettable", Lynn said as she glanced at her grandpa. Albert just shrugged her down.

"Even though you were last and I don't see any prey with you, don't feel bad. You still managed to make it in time before being disqualified. For that, you will receive a nominal award, here", the fat guy handed them four pieces of papers that thanked them for participating in the 2019. contest.

_Only three hours had passed? I could have sworn that more had passed…, _Lincoln scratched his head in confusion.

Elsewhere, on the Great Lake of Huron, monstrous deep breathing could be heard.

"Hsssssss...", a giant pair of jarring red eyes deep in the water carefully watched over the sea around it, for potential new victims…


End file.
